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Produce Supplier Westfalia Fruit Group Names New CEO

Oct. 21, 2024

Grocery retail veteran leader Chris Bush takes the helm of the international fresh and processed produce supplier.

Chris Bush, group CEO, Westfalia Fruit Group

Multinational fresh and processed produce supplier Westfalia Fruit Group will have a new group CEO, effective Oct. 28, 2024, according to the board of Hans Merensky Holdings (HMH) and Westfalia’s announcement today. Chris Bush will take the helm, taking over from acting group CEO Rian du Toit, who will return to his group CFO role.

Bush brings nearly 40 years of experience to the position, focused on grocery retail businesses, the release noted. Most recently, he served as divisional CEO of DFI Retail Group, South East Asia (formerly Dairy Farm Group). In that role, he directed the company’s 1,500 stores in seven countries.

Prior to his time at DFI Retail Group, Bush worked for 32 years at Tesco Plc, including as its UK managing director.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.